Moscow’s mercenary war

Russian Defence Minister Sergei Shogun has decreed that private military companies must sign contracts with the MoD - over a dozen PMC mercenary groups are operating in Ukraine

49,525 - 65,600 PMC mercenaries in Ukraine 

2022
Founded Number of soldiers in Ukraine
Financial links
Leaders and control

Wagner Group
2014
40,000-50,000
Yevgeny Prigozhin: Paymaster mutinied against Shoigu's PMC decree

ISIS Hunters
2017
5,000
Wagner Fawaz Mikhail Gerges

Tavrida PMC
2022
800 MoD
Anton V. Sirotkin

Akhmat PMC
3,600
Chechnya 
Ramzan Kadyrov

BARS-13
2022
500 MoD
F.S. Olek-sandrovych

Veterans PMC
2022
2,000 MoD
Leader dead

Tiger Battalion
2022
500 MoD
Support for 155th Infantry

Patriot PMC
2018
Up to 1,400
All members of Spetsnaz*
MoD
Sergei Shoigu

Special Forces Storm
2022
250-1,000
MoD
MoD

Rebout, Shield, Tsar's Wolves, Yastred
2014-2022
475-800 MoD

*Spetsnaz: Russian clandestine special forces
†MoD: Russian Ministry of Defence
Sources: Kyiv Post, Inform Napalm, Molfar Images: Getty Images, Скриншот відео ©GRAPHIC NEWS